Director of Brand Social
$183k - $253k USD
About Upstart
At Upstart, we’re united by a mission that matters: to radically reduce the cost and complexity of borrowing for all Americans. Every day, we bring creativity, experimentation, and advanced AI to reshape access to credit, helping millions move forward financially with clarity and confidence.
As the leading AI lending marketplace, we partner with banks and credit unions to expand access to affordable credit through technology that’s both radically intelligent and deeply human. Our platform runs over one million predictions per borrower using more than 1,800 signals, powering smarter, fairer decisions for millions of customers. But the numbers only hint at the impact. Every idea, every voice, and every contribution moves us closer to a world where credit never stands between people and their financial progress.
We’re proudly digital-first, giving most Upstarters the flexibility to do their best work from wherever they thrive, alongside teammates across 80+ cities in the US and Canada. Digital-first doesn’t mean distant. We’re intentional about in-person connection through team onsites, planning sessions, and moments that spark creativity and trust. And whether you choose to work primarily from home or collaborate in-person from one of our offices in Columbus, Austin, the Bay Area, or New York City (opening Summer 2026), you’ll have the support to work in the way that works best for you.
If you’re energized by tackling meaningful problems, excited to innovate with purpose, and motivated by work that truly matters, we’d love to hear from you.
The Team
As Upstart’s Creative & Brand Content Team, we shape how the brand comes to life across every touchpoint — defining our voice, personality, and emotional connection with borrowers and partners.
As the founding Director of Social Media at Upstart, you will build our social presence — defining who we are, how we show up, and how we build relationships with our communities. This is a hands-on leadership role and a team-of-one to start, with the opportunity to grow your dream team over time. You will set the vision, strategy, operating model, and measurement framework for social, while also rolling up your sleeves to create, experiment, and ship.
You will own organic social including content and creator strategies, community engagement, and social governance. You will be responsible for building business cases, forecasting impact, defining KPIs, and partnering with Paid Media and Growth to extend brand and campaign impact across channels.
This role is ideal for a builder — someone equally comfortable shaping long-term strategy and doing the work required to get something new off the ground. This is a highly visible role with the opportunity to be a key driver in making Upstart a beloved brand, cultural icon, and household name.
How you’ll make an impact
- Create a distinctive, recognizable Upstart social persona and consistent presence across platforms.
- Build measurable growth in reach, engagement quality, creator program impact, and campaign extension performance.
- Stand up repeatable systems (OKRs, dashboards, rituals) that make social scalable over time.
- Set content strategy and activation roadmaps to support and achieve brand messaging goals
- Establish the roadmap, budget, and hiring plan to grow the function responsibly.
Minimum Qualifications
- 10+ years of experience across social media, content, brand, or community leadership with at least 5 years spent managing teams
- Proven experience building or scaling a social function including: strategy → operating model → execution → measurement
- Demonstrated success using social content to drive brand and business outcomes (awareness, consideration, engagement, or conversion).
- Experience developing business cases, setting and managing budgets, forecasting impact, defining KPIs, and communicating results to senior leadership.
- Hands-on proficiency with a modern social stack including: Publishing and management (Sprout, Sprinklr, or equivalent), Listening and monitoring (Brandwatch, Sprinklr, or similar), Attribution and measurement integrations Salesforce, HubSpot, or similar)
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in fintech, financial services, or another regulated industry.
- Comfort working in early-stage or ambiguous environments where you are both strategist and executor.
- Comfortable managing vendors/agencies, partners, and cross-functional stakeholders.
- Experience launching new channels or rebuilding underperforming ones at a brand level.
- A passion and aptitude for predicting, engaging in, and driving culture through the lens of brand
Position location This role is available in the following locations: Remote
Travel requirements As a digital first company, the majority of your work can be accomplished remotely. The majority of our employees can live and work anywhere in the U.S but are encouraged to to still spend high quality time in-person collaborating via regular onsites. The in-person sessions’ cadence varies depending on the team and role; most teams meet once or twice per quarter for 2-4 consecutive days at a time.
#LI-REMOTE
#LI-Director
At Upstart, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package. The anticipated base salary for this position is expected to be within the below range. Your actual base pay will depend on your geographic location–with our “digital first” philosophy, Upstart uses compensation regions that vary depending on location. Individual pay is also determined by job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.
In addition, Upstart provides employees with target bonuses, equity compensation, and generous benefits packages (including medical, dental, vision, and 401k).
United States | Remote - Anticipated Base Salary Range
$183,000—$253,300 USD
What you'll love
At Upstart, our benefits are designed to support your health, financial well-being, family, and personal growth. Here’s what you can expect:
- Competitive compensation, including base pay, bonus opportunities, and annual equity grants that vest quarterly
- Generous 401(k) plan with Upstart matching $2 for every $1 contributed, up to $15,000 per year
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with discounted stock purchase options for eligible employees
- Affordable medical, dental, and vision coverage, with multiple plan options - Upstart covers 90% to 100% of the cost depending on the plans you choose
- Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart for eligible plans
- Income protection benefits, including company-paid Basic Life, AD&D, and Short- and Long-Term Disability coverage, with options to purchase supplemental coverage
- Paid time off, sick and safe time, and company holidays
- Paid family and parental leave to support caregiving and major life moments
- Family-centered benefits through Carrot and Cleo, supporting fertility, parenthood, and caregiving
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offering mental health support and life-centered resources
- Financial wellness resources, including access to financial planning tools and a financial concierge service
- Annual wellness allowance to support your physical and emotional well-being and personal development, based on what matters most to you
- Annual productivity allowance to invest in relevant tools and resources you need to do your best work, no matter where you work from
- Connection and community through team events and onsites, all-company updates, and employee resource groups (ERGs)
- Onsite perks, including catered lunches and fully stocked micro-kitchens when working from one of our four offices, located in the Bay Area, Austin, Columbus, and New York City (opening Summer 2026!).
Upstart is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. Just as we are dedicated to improving access to affordable credit for all, we are committed to inclusive and fair hiring practices.
If you require reasonable accommodation in completing an application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please email candidate_accommodations@upstart.com